


Through Your Eyes

by disklosr



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders Are Siblings, M/M, Original Soulmate Au, Platonic Logic | Logan Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27603506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disklosr/pseuds/disklosr
Summary: In a society where emotions played such a big role, other kids had latched onto Logan's calm and collected exterior. They said he was like a robot, that he lacked emotions. Would he even have a soulmate? As they said, you needed to feel things to have one.He knew their claims were illogical, but the constant pestering from his peers got to him until eventually, he internalized their message. Maybe he really wouldn’t be able to have a true soulmate connection.----Everyone gets little glimpses through their soulmate(s)'s eyes when they feel a particularly strong emotion. Logan is afraid his feelings aren't strong enough for his soulmates to feel.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders
Comments: 19
Kudos: 195





	Through Your Eyes

“Tuesday, April 23.  
Emotion: Joy, affection  
Details: Petting the (very happy-looking) golden retriever, painted nails with blue nail polish, wearing blue jeans and white socks with pictures of chocolate chip cookies on them.“

It was all Logan could observe during the three second flash through his soulmate’s eyes. He had been getting the flashes for as long as he could remember, just like everyone else, whenever his soulmate was experiencing a particularly strong emotion. In his case, that was often. He would see what his soulmate was seeing at the height of the emotion, while also going through the same feeling. The emotions ranged from downright euphoria and excitement over performing on stage, to grief over losing a loved-one, with every emotion in-between. 

Due to the faultiness of the human memory, the flashes were hard to keep track of. That’s why, on his seventh birthday, he asked his mothers for a thick notebook and started to develop his soulmate journal system. He kept the journal with him everywhere and wrote down in it absolutely everything he could remember from a flash right after it happened. After lots of practice and some trial and error, he had perfected the system and improved his ability to concentrate on the details, even over the strong emotions.

Having all the details written down in an orderly manner gave him an opportunity to get to know his soulmate and deduce details about their life and personality. It made him feel like one of his biggest role models, Sherlock Holmes. And as the Sherlock of his own life, his first big breakthrough happened at twelve years old, when his soulmate broke their arm. 

He remembered flashes to the disfigured limb and the fear. He felt the worry and the anxiety. He couldn’t feel the physical pain but he could imagine it. It left him so shaken that he didn’t even realize until he read over his logs, that during the flash where he felt worry, both arms he saw hugging the rainbow-colored teddy bear were unbroken.

There was no way his soulmate could’ve gotten better so soon, which led him to the only plausible conclusion. He had suspected it before when he noticed small inconsistencies during the flashes, like different colored bedroom walls and such, but he could never be certain due to their short nature. But now, there was no question about it. He had more than one soulmate.

The realization both excited and frightened him. 

In a society where emotions played such a big role, other kids had latched onto Logan's calm and collected exterior. They said he was like a robot, that he lacked emotions. Would he even have a soulmate? As they said, you needed to feel things to have one.

He knew their claims were illogical, but the constant pestering from his peers got to him until eventually, he internalized their message. Maybe he really wouldn’t be able to have a true soulmate connection. 

Because of that, he often wondered what his soulmates would see through his eyes. Would they even see anything? Contrary to what the bullies seemed to believe, he did have emotions. He just didn't react to them very strongly. Sure, he felt proud of his schoolwork and got excited when a new episode of his favorite true crime podcast was released. He just never felt as strongly as his soulmates did during the flashes. Sometimes it almost felt like he actually didn't feel anything. Now that he knew he had multiple soulmates, he wondered if he was destined to be alone, just watch his soulmates fall in love with each other.

But, he was hopeful. Maybe his soulmates couldn’t feel him. That was okay, he’d just have to be the one to find them.

-

When Logan got to high school, the bullying lessened.

It didn't end completely, but when the bullies found more people to target, they gave Logan less attention. He still didn't have any friends in school, but he didn't need them anyway. He preferred to keep to himself and focus on his work. Besides, he had Scales. 

They had only known each other since the summer before Logan started high school, but he considered Scales his best friend (well, his only friend). Scales wasn’t his real name; Logan didn’t know it. Despite Logan not using social media due to its well-researched adverse effects, they had met online, on a forum discussing unsolved mysteries and case files. They were both avid listeners of the same true crime podcast, which they bonded over and easily became friends. For internet safety reasons, Logan didn’t want to reveal anything personal online. Scales was a bit more liberal, having once revealed where he lived (on the opposite side of the country from Logan, which was _fine_ ), but he respected Logan’s wishes.

The name “Scales” was a nickname they had abbreviated from his username on the forum, “Scales0fJustice”. In turn, Scales called Logan “Earthy” from his username “the-first-earthbender” (through the influence of one of his soulmates, he had been watching Avatar: The Last Airbender when he set up his account). Logan wasn’t the biggest fan of the nickname, but that only made Scales use it more.

Scales just was like that. He was sarcastic and, frankly, an asshole most of the time. Despite that, he was a good friend. The best Logan had ever had. Among all the theories about unsolved mysteries they liked to discuss, they could talk to each other about anything. And that they did.

Logan told him about the bullying he had gone through (and still sometimes faced) and the insecurities it had caused him. Scales cursed the bullies so crudely that even Logan, who was usually unaffected by swearing, had felt his ears grow a bit hotter. After that, Scales made sure to subtly remind Logan of his worth, disguised as teasing remarks and jokes.

Scales told Logan about his family situation. He had never known his mother, always living with only his father. His dad had fallen in love with someone new, gotten married and they’d moved in with the woman and her son. His new step-mother was one of the nicest people he had met, but he and the son had some trouble getting along at first. It took time and effort, but now they were close and considered each other brothers. 

Scales and Logan were always there for each other, to listen during harder times, including the time at the end of Scales’ final year of high school, when he got into a lab accident that left him with burns on the left side of his face. That was the time Logan most wished he could’ve been there for Scales in real life, not just from the other side of the country through words on a screen.

They also talked about their soulmates quite often. Feeling another person's emotions in addition to your own could be taxing, especially when having multiple soulmates like Logan, and they provided each other with support.

In the beginning stages of their friendship, Logan had found himself wondering if Scales could be one of his soulmates. It was only logical. They got along better than they ever had with anyone else and cared deeply for one another.

Those suspicions were short-lived, though, because Logan quickly found out that Scales only had one soulmate, who definitely wasn't Logan. The soulmate was loud (apparently the word guffaw was the only word that could accurately describe the way they laughed), easily excitable, artistic and, in Scales’ words, had “a bitch of a brother.” So, yeah, not Logan.

Of course, that could've been confirmation that his fears were real, his soulmate really couldn't feel him. That could've been why Scales said he only had one soulmate when Logan could've been one, too. But no, as much as Logan would've liked to have already met one of his soulmates, he knew Scales just didn't match the logs in his journal.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


By the end of his high School career, Logan had developed a pretty good idea of who his soulmates were as people. The arm-breaking incident had made him go through his journal to find out which logs had similarities and which ones were probably from different people.

He had made a list of all the details he had noticed during the flashes, like the rainbow-colored teddy bear and the people he had seen, and categorized them. The flashes without a cast during that time couldn’t be from the one with a broken arm. First, he thought he had two, the one with the cast and the one without. Through the process, though, he came to the conclusion that there had to have been three soulmates:

Soulmate number one: the one with the broken arm 

This one was the easiest to figure out. Every flash with a cast during the time of the broken arm was certainly from them. Eventually, by the details from those flashes, he could distinctly separate them from the other two.

First, they clearly loved performing. 

Only a few days after breaking their arm, they were on stage, singing a musical song and loving it. They sang a lot. Logan didn’t even know how much in reality since he only got short, few second snippets at a time, which made him very disappointed. He thought his soulmate had an amazing voice. (Scales teased Logan about it every time he mentioned it.)

Second, they were - based on Logan’s objective observations - quite dramatic.

They had very strong emotional reactions to situations that didn’t seem important enough to Logan to warrant such a reaction. Of course, to maintain his integrity as a detective, he had to take into account his lack of context in those situations. Being afraid to play the piano again after getting their cast off was obviously justified, since they might not have been able to do so anymore. Still, actually feeling _agony_ over dropping a sandwich face-down on the floor just didn’t seem very reasonable, no matter how good the sandwich was.

And finally, they definitely had a brother. 

Logan saw the familiar grinning face and green hair of the brother (just this time wearing a fake mustache, looking like a lion tamer) in a flash at the hospital shortly after the soulmate had gotten the cast on their arm. The amusement at the mustache was the first positive feeling Logan had felt from his soulmate since the broken arm.

The brother was… something else. While he and Logan’s soulmate had never had a _bad_ relationship, per se, it had just been rocky for a while. He had a tendency to do pranks, (probably accidentally) break the soulmate’s things and (absolutely not accidentally) bother them during piano practice, which annoyed and frustrated them immensely. Frustration had gone hand in hand with the brother’s face in the flashes for a long time when they were children until one day, when they hugged their misunderstandings goodbye.

Logan had seen enough flashes during that one long conversation between the siblings, accompanied by a scale of emotions, that he had gotten a vague idea of what was going on. The heart-to-heart started with anger, his soulmate must’ve finally confronted their brother about his actions. After that, multiple emotions colored the conversation; there was shame, probably due to being called out for their own behavior, relief, empathy and finally, during a warm embrace, love.

After the talk, frustration was mostly (but not entirely) replaced by amusement and increased affection. While Logan could probably recognize his soulmate just by them calling their brother a bitch for cheating, they always got excited about playing board games or Mario Kart with him. The dramatics were evident in their pride over getting to first place as Princess Peach and beating King Boo (the brother).

The other two soulmates hadn’t been as easy as the first one to pin down, but thanks to the immaculate details in his journal entries, Logan had managed to find the consistent characteristics distinguishing them from each other.

Soulmate number two: the one with the rainbow-colored teddy bear 

The second of his soulmates was the one whose worry Logan had felt during the arm-breaking incident. Initially, Logan had grouped all details from flashes without a cast in their category, but that proved to be an inadequate categorization. It drove him mad but he couldn't explain why it didn't fit. They just didn't _feel_ the same. So, while it went against his very being, he just had to go by feeling, not logic.

He started from the one thing he could pinpoint: the rainbow-colored teddy bear. That one he had seen more times than he could keep track of (but that was only because the bear had been there since before he developed his journal system). The flashes including the bear, no matter what emotion they were filled with, often had this underlying anxiety, as if they were afraid of what their soulmate would see through their eyes or think about their strongest emotions. That always broke Logan’s heart.

The anxiety was present without other emotions, too. It had started before, but the time it got the worst was in middle school, when Logan started seeing a new man and a boy around his age (and a pet snake) in the flashes from his soulmate’s home. Especially the boy and the snake made the soulmate anxious and afraid. Logan guessed it wasn’t actually because of them, they probably just represented a change in his soulmate’s life. 

That hypothesis was backed by a lessening in the level of the anxiety as time went on and they had time to get used to each other. Logan began to see the new boy, most likely a step-brother, more often along with feelings of appreciation and fondness. The snake also started to appear in the flashes more. Before, Logan had only seen the snake (a python, if he had assessed correctly) associated with fear until one day, he saw his soulmate petting it, feeling nothing but affection and admiration.

The snake was also a big clue when learning more about his soulmate. Once, he saw a sketch of the python in the middle of a dozen crossed-out, most likely less-than-satisfactory (but identical to Logan), drawings of the same snake with a strong feeling of accomplishment. He could recognize that art style anywhere.

His soulmate was an amazing artist. Logan had always thought so, even when they had still been drawing anime characters with some perspective issues. Over time, they had developed their own style and improved technically. They clearly loved it, which was evident even through the brief glimpses Logan got. That only made him appreciate their skills more.

In the flashes with the drawings, there was a small detail Logan had noticed: they often had hair covering their eyes. He wasn’t sure if that was done intentionally to hide behind it or not, but the consistency pointed toward that being the case. Overall, his second soulmate seemed rather insecure, which Logan could relate to, to some extent. Since he couldn’t be there to support them, he hoped they had a good friend like Scales in their life to help them through the harder times.

To his dismay, Logan had to, again, go by feelings over logic when figuring out his third soulmate. Excluding the flashes that were indisputably from the first two, there were still quite a few logs left without a category, some of which were just so vague that they couldn’t be attached to anyone in particular. One repeated detail stood out though, which gave the title to his third, and final, soulmate.

Soulmate number three: the one with the golden retriever 

His third soulmate had a dog. A golden retriever, to be exact. Logan saw the dog almost daily, often multiple times a day, always along with copious amounts of love and affection. The love his soulmate felt for that dog was something Logan couldn’t even imagine ever being on the receiving end of, despite coming from a very happy family with two very loving mothers. His soulmate just had so much love to give and Logan wished he would be able to one day feel what it was like to be loved so wholly, just like that dog (the luckiest dog in the world). 

The story of how they got the dog, though, wasn’t pleasant.

When Logan was little, his soulmate got very sad. He didn't fully piece together what had happened until he was older. He remembered the absence of a man he had grown used to seeing, often associated with pure love, of course. He remembered flashes to sadness and grief. He remembered the sound of sobbing in a dark room and he remembered wanting nothing more than to be there with his soulmate, to make their sadness go away.

He saw flashes to an event that was unquestionably a funeral, and he saw piles of clothes and various knick knacks. Everything was painted with grief for a long time. The usually happy and enthusiastic person was reduced to nothing but a shadow of that.

Logan had his journal but he couldn't write any of it down. It was all just too heartbreaking, even for him. The first log about them from that time was about the dog. 

Seeing the little golden retriever puppy for the first time was filled with such strong surprise that Logan could feel it even over the sadness - the first non-negative feeling in a long time that could be felt from them. 

The feelings got increasingly positive as time went on, the grief still lingering but not so overwhelming anymore. Slowly, the soulmate got back their optimistic and cheerful persona. They started painting their nails in bright colors and wearing their patterned socks again - opposed to not wearing socks at all - and enjoying going to places outside of that one room, now with the always excited puppy wagging its tail and leading the way.

Logan wasn't entirely sure about how some events with his soulmates had unfolded or the reasons behind them, but he'd get to ask them about it directly later. There was one thing he was absolutely sure about, though.

His soulmates had one thing in common: they all loved Disney.

He had felt so many emotional reactions to various Disney scenes that he couldn’t even keep track of which was whose anymore. Logan was pretty sure that all three of them had cried during Dumbo while singing Baby Mine at least once. Knowing how much Disney meant to them, he had started watching some of the movies, too. Most of them had been a bit too detached from reality to Logan’s liking, but he rather enjoyed some of them. He'd have to thank his soulmates for introducing him to Big Hero 6.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


When Logan got to college, he hadn't met any of his soulmates yet. That wasn't unusual. In fact, most people didn't meet theirs until they were older than Logan at the time. Still, illogically, he couldn't help but wonder if the claims of his bullies could be true after all.

It frustrated him to be so hung up on the meaningless words of people who only wanted to hurt him. He hoped college would be his safe haven away from the bullies and studying what he was interested in (and just studying, he enjoyed that, too).

He had chosen to double major. He picked psychology first. He had always been fascinated by the human mind, one of the most difficult things in existence to understand, as evidenced by his interest in true crime. He also wanted to help people and share his knowledge with others, so he decided to study education in addition to psychology. Maybe one day he would be able to combine his passions and possibly teach psychology to people of any age.

With two majors, came almost double the work. It didn’t bother Logan, though. He liked studying and learning new things, especially about the things he was passionate about. It was more or less exactly what he would’ve been doing with his free time, anyway. All in all, Logan enjoyed college. Well, except for one thing. His roommate.

The roommate, Roman, had gotten on Logan’s nerves ever since they first met. Scales had already gotten tired of him constantly complaining about Roman.

Logan had arrived at his dorm room early, wanting to get to the dormitories before they started to crowd. He had already unpacked and was in the process of organizing his school supplies in the drawers of one of the desks when his new roommate barged in, wearing a flowy button-down, looking like Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid.

He opened the door with flourish and practically sang his hello.

“Greetings! It is I, the one and only Roman! Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

He emphasized his words with a bow and a toothy smile. He seemed… theatrical. Perhaps dressing up like Prince Eric had been intentional.

“Hello. My name is Logan. We seem to have been assigned as roommates.”

“So it seems!” Roman said, continuing on with his dramatic way of speaking. “Our room looks marvellous!”

Roman started looking over their shared room with a big smile on his face. He smiled at the twin beds on opposite sides of the room, and the big closet with two doors - one for each resident. He smiled especially wide at the bathroom door, confirming that they wouldn’t have a shared bathroom with the entire floor. Logan had been pleased with that, too. Roman’s smile dropped instantly, though, when his eyes landed on the window-facing desk Logan had just claimed for himself.

“Oh, have you already reserved that one?” He said tentatively, looking over at Logan. “I study musical theater, which is a very creative department, as I’m sure you’re aware of. I was kind of hoping I’d have a view of the outside world from my desk to spark my creativity. Would you be willing to switch desks with me?”

Logan could get behind rational (or at least an effort at rational) arguments - and he didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot with the person he would spend years in the same room with - so he agreed to swap desks.

After he had finished moving the things he had previously organized from one desk to the other, Roman looked pleased. He thanked Logan profusely, actually bowed at him and kissed the back of Logan’s hand, like a proper prince. Logan denied blushing at that when Scales asked him about it later. (He definitely blushed, though, just a little bit.)

As Logan was finishing up reorganizing the supplies on his new desk, he looked over at his roommate. Roman was sitting at the desk he had just gotten in exchange from Logan, looking discontented. Logan was about to ask him what was going on, when Roman spoke up.

“Can we switch back?”

Logan must have looked as confused as he felt, because Roman rushed to explain himself, the dramatics from before ever present.

“I only just now realized how glaring the sunbeams are from here. I cannot work in these conditions lest I get a migraine or damage my eyes.”

Roman’s theatre background was evident in his gestures and expressions, bringing his words to life. Logan rolled his eyes and agreed to swap the desks back. After all, it was the desk he had wanted from the beginning.

The small inconvenience of the desk-swapping incident would’ve been just that, a small inconvenience, had it not been for Roman’s continued lack of respect for Logan. After only a few months of school, Logan was already sleep deprived. Aware of the negative effects of a lack of sleep, he had been sticking to a specific sleep schedule all his life. Because of Roman, that schedule had suffered.

Roman stayed up late, whether it was to practice lines or catch up on other schoolwork he had neglected. The light Roman had to keep on (“no, I can’t use the desk lamp. Its vibrations hurt my eyes”) and the sound of the music he listened to while studying (“I can’t wear headphones, my ears will suffer”) made it impossible for Logan to fall asleep on time.

Roman's inability to take Logan into consideration reached his schoolwork, too. It was hard for Logan to concentrate on studying when Roman seemed to have made it his mission to go through every teen movie from the last twenty years, again, without headphones.

Logan relished in the times Roman was out, either acting in a play, or in their floor’s game room or the nearby arcade with his brother. Those were the days he could actually get work done and rest his brain. Those were also the days he could chat with Scales uninterrupted.

-

the-first-earthbender: “My roommate is finally out again.”

Scales0fJustice: “just say egotistical moron, i’ll know who you’re talking about”

He chuckled a bit at the reply from Scales, but couldn’t let Roman be the sole recipient of the critique when Logan wasn’t entirely innocent either.

the-first-earthbender: “No, it’s my fault. I should have talked to him about it earlier. Or at all.”

Scales0fJustice: “maybe, but it’s still okay to complain about things you’re unhappy with sometimes. apparently, according to this one researcher (i think her name was dr. grice?), venting can help gain perspective and put words to feelings”

the-first-earthbender: “Oh, that’s actually a real citation. I’m proud of you, Scales.”

Scales0fJustice: “thanks. i learned about that in school. one of my teachers is an ass and actually makes me _do things_ to get good grades. isn’t that so unfair?”

the-first-earthbender: “No. I think that’s very fair, actually. The purpose of school is for you to learn, not only about the subjects you’re studying, but also about things like work ethic.”

Scales0fJustice: “i was joking, earthy. but you’re right”

Scales0fJustice: “anyway, if i have to take one more class from mr. mosworth i’ll drop out”

Logan perked up at seeing the familiar name.

the-first-earthbender: “Mr. Mosworth?”

Scales0fJustice: “oh oops. i didn’t even realize i was sharing personal info. but yeah, that's my teacher”

His heart began to beat faster. It couldn’t be. It was too much of a long-shot.

the-first-earthbender: “Does he teach you political psychology, by any chance?”

Scales0fJustice: “yeah, how’d you know?”

Logan could feel his heartbeat in his ears, it was beating so fast. It truly seemed to be real.

the-first-earthbender: “I think we go to the same school.”

Logan had known Scales had been studying political science at a university away from home for two years, but he couldn’t have even imagined that he’d be able to meet his best friend there. It took Scales five minutes of typing, then stopping, then typing again, and Logan the same five minutes of his heart beating like he had just finished a marathon and trying not to get his hopes up, until he finally replied.

Scales0fJustice: “you go to oregon state?”

the-first-earthbender: “Yes.”

This time, the reply was almost instant.

Scales0fJustice: “we go to the same school”

Scales0fJustice: “WE GO TO THE SAME SCHOOL”

Scales0fJustice: “where are you? i’m seeing you right now”

Logan couldn’t believe it. The probability of meeting Scales like this had to be so small that it made it a statistical impossibility. How small it was in reality, Logan was too dumbfounded to calculate, but he knew it was, at the very least, improbable. Still, it was happening. 

They realized they were both close to the school’s library and agreed to meet there as soon as they could get there. Scales told him he’d be recognizable by his hat. 

Logan was too excited to even keep his thoughts in order, which was unheard of for him. He was also nervous. What if their easy friendship wouldn’t be the same in real life? After all, many things were easier through the safety of a screen than face to face. Despite the nervousness, Logan headed to the library.

When he got there, he saw multiple people with either laptops or books in front of them, studying. As he scanned the room, his eyes landed on the one person who didn’t look to be there to work, sitting at a corner table at the far end of the library, wearing a bowler hat. That had to be Scales.

Logan walked over to him and, somehow, managed to keep calm.

“Hello. Are you Scales?” Logan said tentatively but politely. “I’m Logan, but you probably know me as the-first-earthbender.”

Scales turned his head with a grin and stood up, slowly offering his hand for Logan to shake. He was wearing the bowler hat, gloves and a cape Roman would have been jealous of. Logan also couldn’t help but notice the burn marks from the lab accident covering the left side of his face. He couldn’t believe his best friend was real and right there in front of him.

“Logan, huh? Yeah, I’m Scales. But most people just call me Janus.”

Logan shook Janus’ hand and said the thing that, later, he would never stop making fun of Logan for.

“Oh, like Janice Ian?”

Janus raised his eyebrows in surprise and his grin only widened.

“No, Janus like January. I didn't have you pegged as a Mean Girls kinda guy.” 

Logan felt his ears warming in embarrassment. He couldn’t believe the first thing that came to his mind was a reference to a high school movie.

“I'm not, my roommate is,” he said with a groan.

Janus started laughing, which eased Logan’s embarrassment.

“I should’ve known. That’s exactly the kind of movie he would watch. Anyway, should we sit down?”

As they sat down and started talking, Logan could tell their friendship in person was the same as it was online. Everything felt just as easy as it always had.

-

That table they sat at the first time they met became their go-to spot to hang out. They started meeting up there regularly to study (mostly Logan) and read old plays (all Janus) together. They liked the silent company but also the opportunity to talk to each other any time they wanted, about anything they wanted, finally face to face. 

They talked about the things they had always talked about - like the true crime podcast that brought them together and their soulmates and just about life in general - but this time, Logan could actually see Sca- Janus’ sarcastic eye rolls instead of just imagining them.

They also learned new things about each other, Logan being more willing to share personal information in person. Logan found out that Janus’ brother, Virgil, went to their school as well, studying art. The arts department was in a different building, across the campus, so they didn't see him often. Logan had met him once, though.

One Friday, Virgil came to the library to get Janus, so they could go see their parents for the weekend. He had barely looked at Logan, seeming uncomfortable over being around someone he didn't know. He hid behind his long, purple bangs, only half of his eyes and the generously applied dark eyeshadow visible from underneath them. He wore almost all black, except for the purple patches on his large hoodie, his hands buried deep in its pockets. His dark and broody disposition made it clear he and Janus definitely came from the same place.

Virgil didn't say a word to Logan and he didn't want to make Virgil even more uncomfortable than he already was, so he let Janus do all the talking. Virgil and Janus had a… unique relationship. They both kept insulting and teasing each other, even during such a short conversation. Still, they clearly got along well and Logan knew, from what Janus had told him, that they cared a great deal about each other. Being an only child, maybe Logan just didn’t understand sibling relationships.

After that first meeting, Logan hadn't seen Virgil again. Janus talked about him often, though, so Logan felt like he had a vague idea of what Virgil was like. Apparently, he was quiet, which Logan had picked up on when they met, and almost just as sarcastic as Janus. Logan thought Virgil seemed a bit withdrawn, but couldn't say for certain since he didn't actually know him.

-

By spending more time studying at the library with Janus, Logan got more work done. When his roommate wasn't around to bother him with his mere presence, Logan was ahead with schoolwork again. The lessened stress from that allowed Logan to actually get to know Roman, without only focusing on his flaws.

Despite the flaws, Roman was actually quite likeable. He was friendly and kind and, while he clearly liked to get what he wanted, he _tried_ to be considerate to Logan. He didn't always succeed, but the effort was definitely there. 

Once, Roman had gone to a grocery store to stock the mini fridge in their room. They were both horrible cooks, so they kept it filled with snack foods that required little to no preparation. Their favorites included various sandwich toppings, store-bought smoothies and the easiest to eat fruit of all: bananas. The one thing Logan enjoyed above all was Crofter’s fruit spread. That was one thing they had in common, actually, but Roman usually preferred Nutella. That one time he had gone to the grocery store, he decided to bring some grape flavored jelly - the only flavor of Crofter’s Logan didn’t like. Still, Logan appreciated the effort and was thankful Roman had thought of him.

Logan also noticed another way Roman took him into consideration without him even noticing. Once, Logan got back to their room later than usual and Roman was already on his bed, watching one of his movies - Grease, as Logan could tell by the rendition of Summer Nights playing so loudly he heard it from the hallway. When he walked in, though, Roman immediately turned the volume down to, at most, half of what it had been. Logan hadn’t even realized before how silent the sounds from the movies had been. He had just focused on the fact that they were there at all.

Logan was surprised and, honestly, embarrassed to notice his own bias against Roman. He had thought of everything his roommate did as selfish or inconsiderate even though, as he now realized, Roman hadn’t meant any harm. He was actually very friendly and kind, just a bit oblivious. So, when Roman asked if Logan wanted to watch Beauty and the Beast with him one night, he said yes.

After that, they started spending more and more time together, Roman making Logan watch various musicals and other movies. Logan especially liked the time they watched Big Hero 6. They were surprised to find out that Logan had seen the movie but Roman hadn't. When Logan explained how he had come to see it and told him about his soulmates’ love of Disney, Roman was predictably excited. (“Who are these soulmates and why am I roommates with you and not them?”)

After going through enough musicals to Logan’s liking, they agreed to take turns picking the movies. Roman wasn’t nearly as insufferable when they were doing things together as Logan had thought he was. They continued their movie nights and even began to study together until, eventually, they considered each other friends. 

As a friend, Roman was unwaveringly loyal and chivalrous, exactly like the prince he always spoke and behaved like he was. Those traits also made Logan see how charming and, really, quite attractive he was. Roman’s extravagant clothing choices and theatrical speech patterns only highlighted his personality, and Logan was beginning to dangerously toe the line between friendly admiration and something more. Logan preferred not to acknowledge it, not wanting to make things complicated. Especially before finding his soulmates.

So, he stayed strictly friendly with Roman. 

He even introduced Roman to Janus. The two had trouble getting along, which was evident in their constant arguing and Janus’ sly insults that, mostly, went unnoticed by Roman. Still, for Logan’s sake, they tolerated each other. After spending enough time with the three of them together, studying at the library, they asked Janus to join one of their movie-watching sessions. Janus and Roman, predictably, had difficulty picking a movie to watch (Roman liked Disney movies and musicals, Janus insisted on watching a “real film”), so they ended up watching one of Logan’s documentaries.

After that, movie nights became tradition for them. Every Friday night, they gathered together in Logan and Roman’s shared room and took turns picking a movie to watch. None of them could cook well, so the snacks they ate during the movies mostly consisted of chips and (readily-popped) popcorn.

Logan’s favorite movie night with the three of them had been the time they watched The Phantom of the Opera. He didn’t particularly enjoy the movie, all musicals seeming the same to him, but Roman and Janus both did. They agreed on the movie, for once, and watched it without even bickering as much as they usually did. That night, Logan felt content, spending time with his two best friends, watching a movie in peace. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Halfway through his first year of college, Logan got a flash from one of his soulmates. 

He was in the middle of packing his laptop back into his bag after a lecture on inclusive teaching, when he felt an intense wave of pride wash over him as a beautiful painting of a stormy sky filled his field of vision. His artist soulmate. After the flash was over, Logan smiled slightly to himself and took out his soulmate journal from his bag to write the details down.

“Heya! That’s a nice book! I think I’ve seen it before.”

Logan looked up, eyebrows raised in surprise over someone coming up to talk to him. That didn’t happen very often, as he was usually focused on his work, not seeming approachable in the slightest. As he looked to the person who had spoken, he saw a small boy he had seen briefly during his education courses, with a huge smile on his face. The boy had a head full of light brown curls, freckles across his nose and cheeks and striking blue eyes behind his glasses. He was wearing a fluffy grey hoodie with cat ears on the hood and paw marks on the sleeves. He was objectively (and subjectively) adorable. And he had said something to Logan.

As Logan realized what the boy had said, he looked down at the once sleek, but over time frayed, book in front of him. Had he said he had seen Logan’s soulmate journal before?

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean,” he said, looking up again, into the boy’s beautiful eyes. The boy was practically bouncing on the spot, his excitement almost tangible. Before Logan could get an explanation from the boy, though, his vision was taken over by his own confused face and strong feelings of excitement and glee. A flash from his soulmate. A flash from the boy beside him. The boy with colorful socks and brightly painted nails. _His soulmate_.

“Oh. I see what you mean, now,” Logan said, stunned. His soulmate had recognized him. His soulmate had felt his emotions and seen his journal through his eyes. He really did have a soulmate.

The boy - his soulmate - squealed and rushed down to sit on Logan’s lap and enveloped him tightly in his arms. After the initial shock from the unexpected gesture, Logan returned the hug almost as tightly. Relief washed over him and he took comfort in the embrace. His fears, instilled in him by the bullies from his childhood, were proven to be unfounded. He now had confirmation that he wasn’t an emotionless robot just because he felt differently than some others. All given to him with just a few words by the wonderful boy in his arms, whose name, he realized, he didn’t even know.

“What’s your name?” Logan mumbled into the boy’s shoulder, still not letting go of him. The boy leaned back a bit to look at Logan, the smile never having left his face.

“I’m Patton. And you’re the smart one!” 

Logan knew he was smart, but he wanted to know more about what Patton had seen from him.

“The smart one?” 

“Yeah, I always see you read these super scientific books and stuff and I can’t even understand what I’m seeing! So you must be really smart,” Patton giggled a bit as he told Logan he couldn’t understand his books. “You actually inspired me to start a diary about my soulmates, too!”

Patton got up from Logan’s lap and rummaged through the backpack hanging from his shoulder until he lifted a light pink notebook in the air, victorious. 

“A-ha! This is my book where I write things I see from you guys.” 

Patton gave the book to Logan and he took in the colorful stickers adorning the cover. He didn’t want to open it, though, wanting to hear about Patton’s experiences straight from the boy himself. Logan told him just that and Patton smiled understandingly.

“That’s okay. I’m just so excited that I feel like I wanna show you and tell you everything now!” Patton laughed a little but then stopped, his smile falling as he realized something. “Oh! I don’t even know your name! I completely forgot to ask, I was just focusing on how happy I was to finally find you.”

“It's quite alright. My name is Logan. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Patton.”

Patton blushed slightly and giggled at his words, covering his mouth with both of his hands. 

“Aw, shucks, you're making me blush” he said as he shrugged his shoulders and waved one of his hands dismissively, still blushing. “It's really nice to meet you, too.”

Logan smiled at Patton's behavior and looked around the now-empty lecture hall.

“Perhaps we should go somewhere else to continue our conversation. We're really not supposed to be here outside of class and there will probably be a new group coming in soon.”

Patton looked around, too, only just now realizing that everyone else had left. He blushed again when he looked at Logan.

“Yeah, you're right. Maybe we can go to your dorm to keep talking?”

Logan was already about to say yes, when he remembered Roman. While he had no doubt his friend would get along with Patton, he thought it would be better to become acquainted with each other first, just the two of them.

“My roommate is usually already there at this time and I'm not sure if I want to get to know you for the first time in front of him. Could we possibly go to your room?” 

“Oh, I live off-campus. I wanted to bring Chip with me and you can’t have pets in the dorms.”

Logan thought about the many flashes he had gotten within the last few months containing the golden retriever. He should've been able to conclude that Patton wouldn't be staying at the dorms.

“I assume Chip is your dog?”

The smile that had decorated Patton's face since he had first spoken to Logan got impossibly wider.

“I knew you'd see him! Yeah, he's the best.”

“He is rather… cute.” The word felt foreign on Logan's lips but there was no word to better describe the energetic golden retriever. Besides, the description seemed to please Patton.

“The cutest! I can't wait for you to meet him!” Patton exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement again. Logan smiled slightly at his antics, recognizing his third soulmate easily.

“I'm sure I'll meet him soon enough. But now, seeing as we're unable to go to either of our places of residence, do you know any other places close by we could go to?”

Patton's eyes lit up.

“Yes! There's this really nice cafe down the street. They have the best chocolate cake in the city.”

Logan couldn't say no to the enthusiasm exuding from Patton, so they agreed to go to the cafe. Logan even promised to try the chocolate cake, despite it being bad for his teeth. At the cafe, while sharing a piece of the cake (or, more accurately, Patton eating cake and Logan taking a small bite), they started to get to know each other better. 

Of course, they already knew a lot. Logan told Patton about most of the things he had seen and felt from him, leaving out the time filled with grief, deciding that later would be a better time to talk about that. Patton told Logan how he'd usually see him reading his “smart books” and writing in his soulmate journal. Patton had also seen Logan’s mothers on multiple occasions. Logan was still amazed that his feelings were actually strong enough for his soulmate to feel, having feared that he'd be left having to watch his soulmates fall in love without him.

They also learned new things about each other. Apparently, they were both studying education. That explained why Logan had seen him during lectures. Patton had chosen the major because he wanted to work with children. Logan also learned that Patton did volunteer work at a local homeless shelter. He wasn't able to donate much money on a student budget, so he gave his time, instead.

After being shown dozens of pictures of Chip, Logan told Patton about Janus and Roman, and how he wanted Patton to meet them soon. Patton was excited, of course, especially after hearing about Roman's interest in Disney movies.

After some dancing around the subject, Patton brought up his other two soulmates. Logan could almost feel his relief - and actually did feel it through a flash when it got strong enough - when Logan told him that he, too, had three soulmates. Sharing details about the other two, the ones neither of them had met yet, they were undeniably the same two people, even through their different perspectives. 

(“They’re fairly dramatic.” – “No, they’re just passionate!”

“They seem to have some problems with anxiety.” – “Yeah, I feel bad. I really wanna hug them.”)

They both agreed that they wished to find their other soulmates as soon as they could, but they weren’t in a rush. They knew it would happen when it was meant to. 

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Patton mumbled suddenly, mouth full of chocolate cake. “I also remember seeing your glasses once! _Spectacular_ choice, by the way," he said - after swallowing down the cake - tapping his own pair that was almost identical to Logan's. Logan was still dazed enough from actually conversing with his _soulmate_ that he almost missed the pun. Almost. He rolled his eyes and groaned.

“I’ll have to grow accustomed to your abundance of puns.”

Patton began to laugh loudly and covered his mouth with his hand again.

“You’ll learn to like it, kiddo!”

"I highly doubt that,” Logan replied, before realizing Patton’s use of the word “kiddo”. “We're the same age, there's no plausible way you could be my parent." 

Patton just shrugged. 

"I call everyone kiddo. It’s just a term of endearment to me. Everybody deserves some care, you know?" 

And Logan had to admit, it did feel nice.

-

Logan had always been told by the people around him that he had no feelings, which had led him to think his emotions to be weaker than other people’s - and sometimes even made him act like he really didn't feel anything. His quickly growing feelings for Patton, though, made him question all of that. 

After their first meeting, they started meeting up almost daily. Patton made sure they ate lunch together every time they could, and met up before their shared lectures. They exchanged phone numbers and Logan could count on seeing a new picture of Chip or a pun every time he unlocked his phone, which he was slowly getting used to. The puns, even though he considered them an unnecessary form of humor, made him smile more often than not. They were just so _Patton_. 

Patton was also very physically affectionate. It had taken Logan some time to get used to, but he was beginning not to mind it. He actually quite liked being the object of Patton’s affection. He never would have thought he would be so smitten with someone, but Patton just kept breaking Logan’s conceptions of himself. Logan had never had feelings like that for anyone until Patton. Well, there were those small, undefined feelings for Roman at the back of his mind that he still didn’t like to acknowledge. Ignoring his feelings for Roman was getting harder by the minute, and living in the same room did not make things easier. Trying to force the thoughts out of his head only made him think about them more - what with the white bear experiment and all - but he was determined. 

He still had two more soulmates to find, after all. 

-

Soon, only a couple of weeks after their first meeting, Patton took Logan to his apartment to meet Chip. On the walk over there, Logan felt oddly nervous. Logically, he knew it wouldn’t be hard to impress the dog, but knowing how important he was to Patton gave him additional pressure.

“No need to be nervous, kiddo. Chip loves everyone,” Patton said suddenly and grabbed Logan’s hand, clearly having felt Logan’s nervousness. “And even if he doesn’t love you right now, I know he will soon!”

Logan squeezed Patton’s hand lightly, silently thanking him for reassuring him. 

As they got to Patton’s apartment, Chip was waiting at the door, wagging his tail and barking excitedly. Logan had heard the claim about dogs and their owners being alike, but he had always thought of it as a joke. Now, though, seeing Patton petting Chip, with the signature smile on his face, Logan had to admit that there was some merit to the theory. Maybe he would have to do some research on the subject.

When Patton had given Chip enough attention, the dog turned to Logan. His tail was still wagging and he clearly expected Logan to continue the petting Patton had started. Logan patted Chip’s head once experimentally and when the dog kept wagging his tail, Logan began to scratch him behind the ears. Chip barked happily and Logan felt like he had accomplished something great, having made friends with Patton’s best friend.

After Chip had gotten enough of the petting, Logan and Patton moved deeper into Patton’s small studio apartment. He had a kitchen, a bathroom and a room that doubled as a bedroom and a living room. Patton led Logan into the kitchen and took out a bowl of cookies from the fridge.

“Here, I baked these yesterday. I wanted to give you a fresh one, but then I thought, hey! He’s coming over anyway so you don’t have to give him a crumbled cookie you’ve been carrying around all day! But now I’m a bit disappointed that you have to eat a cold cookie. Are you-”

“Thank you,” Logan said, interrupting Patton’s rambling. “I’m sure the cookies are lovely.”

Patton blushed a bit and gave Logan a cookie. As Logan took a bite, his eyes widened at how tasty the cookie was.

“I know you don’t like when things are too sweet so I put in way less sugar than I usually do. I hope you like it.”

“Like it? Patton, the ratio of the ingredients is practically perfect. It's amazing. I didn’t know you were such a good baker.”

Patton blushed again at Logan’s words and grinned, like he always did when he came up with a pun.

“If they’re that good, maybe you should give me a... Pat-on the back. Like Patton!” Patton said, pointing at his own grinning face with both hands and started giggling at his own joke. 

Logan rolled his eyes fondly and ate the rest of his cookie.

“I actually wanted to ask you something,” Patton started quietly, after calming down from his giggling fit.

Logan looked at Patton, noticing the shift in his demeanor from playful to nervous. That worried Logan.

“What is it?” 

Patton took a deep breath and looked down before asking,

“Are we boyfriends? Like, can I call you my boyfriend when I talk to my mom about you?”

Logan felt his worry disappear. He looked at Patton’s nervous disposition and took his hand in his own. Patton looked up at Logan.

“If you want to, of course you can call me your boyfriend. We’re soulmates, after all. Taking into account that, and the fact that we both have feelings for each other, it’s only logical that we would be boyfriends. But only if I can call you my boyfriend, too.”

Patton immediately smiled and hugged Logan tightly. Logan closed his eyes, but could still see the blue of his own sweater. Patton was happy.

“That was so cute. Yes, you can call me your boyfriend,” Patton said into Logan’s chest, smiling brightly. “Oh my gosh, I have a boyfriend!” 

Logan couldn’t help but laugh at that. When Patton leaned up to kiss Logan’s cheek, all he could think about was how _right_ it all felt.

-

Roman and Janus liked to tease Logan about Patton whenever Logan brought him up during their study group meetings (where Logan was usually the only one studying) or their weekly movie nights. Logan was unaffected, as he knew they didn’t mean it maliciously. He also knew they hadn’t met their own soulmates, yet, and wouldn’t understand Logan’s feelings until they did.

Roman kept asking Logan to bring Patton along to their movie nights, excited over the prospect of having someone there who loved Disney movies almost as much as he did. Roman told Logan he only wanted to meet Patton, but he knew Roman had his Disney-related ulterior motives. Janus asked Logan (jokingly, as had been later explained to him) if he was ashamed of them because he hadn't introduced them to Patton, yet.

In truth, Logan only wanted to spend time alone with Patton for a bit longer. He knew Patton could get along with anyone and would like the movie nights they had been having for a few months now, and Logan intended to invite Patton along soon. He just didn’t want to change their new relationship drastically, possibly in a bad direction, by moving too fast. 

He began to regret that decision later, after being, unwillingly, introduced to Roman’s brother. 

-

Logan was alone in his and Roman’s dorm room, studying (as he often was). Roman had gone to the nearby arcade with his twin brother, Remus (as they often did). Usually, Remus stayed in the arcade for longer or went back to his own room or did whatever it was general menaces did. Logan had never seen him. This time, however, Roman came back from the arcade with his brother in tow.

“Remus, I swear. If you mention that video one more time, my head will explode.”

“Do you promise?” Remus perked up and, apparently, continued to mention the video Roman was talking about. “Shrek is love, Shrek is life. Shrek is love, Shr-”

“Ugh, you're so annoying,” Roman said, exasperated, covering his ears with a roll of his eyes. Remus continued to sing the repeated phrase while running in circles around Roman.

When he noticed Logan, he stopped in his tracks.

“Oh, hello there. You must be Roman's room-nerd.”

When Logan looked up from his laptop, he felt his stomach turn in surprise. He had definitely seen that mustached face before.

“Oh my God!” Shouted Roman suddenly, turning to look at Logan with wide eyes. Logan's shock must have been strong enough for his soulmates to feel. His soulmates, apparently including Roman. The same Roman who loved Disney movies and performing and who reacted dramatically to even the smallest of inconveniences. The Roman who Logan had talked with about seeing Logan's face in his flashes. Really, how had Logan not realized it sooner? 

Logan had even seen Roman's identical twin brother in his flashes. The same brother currently standing in their room, picking his nose. Shouldn't he have recognized Roman by his features? Well, seeing the brothers side by side, Logan wasn't so sure if he would've been able to.

Even when they were standing right next to each other, the similarities between them were barely noticeable. When looking very, very closely, it was possible to see that they were identical. They were just doing everything in their power to not let it be so. It was clear in the most obvious ways - like Remus' bright green mess of hair in contrast to Roman's impeccably combed, naturally brown hairdo - even down to the smallest details: where Roman was standing tall and straight, Remus was intentionally slightly crouching down, making it seem like they weren't really exactly the same height.

Logan's comparisons were cut off soon by his own, contemplative face taking over his field of vision, his heart filling with shock and excitement. He turned to look at Roman, who was already looking at him with a smile on his face wide enough to rival Patton's. Logan couldn't stop his own smile from forming at the sight.

Before either of them could react, Remus spoke up.

“I know I’d be happy to see me, too, but what’s going on here?” Remus looked confusedly between the two newly found out, happily-smiling soulmates.

“He’s my soulmate,” Roman whispered, so quietly Logan could barely hear him. Hearing Roman say those words made Logan’s heartbeat grow faster. Roman truly was his soulmate.

Remus’ eyebrows rose up at Roman’s words and his lips settled into a devious smirk. He clearly wasn’t planning on leaving the two alone to have their moment any time soon.

“Oh, really?” He drawled, grinning. “I guess I’ll have to start sleeping in my own room on Christmas!”

Seeing Remus’ suggestive eyebrow raises, Roman started pushing him toward the door.

“Okay, it’s time for you to go, now.”

“I see how it is,” Remus said, shimmying his shoulders and making over-the-top thrusting gestures. That only made Roman push harder.

“Yeah you definitely need to go,” Roman said, exasperated, as he pushed Remus into the hallway and slammed the door in his face - literally. Remus didn’t seem to mind, though, as he kept shouting from behind the door.

“Don’t worry, Shrek will understand he’s not your only love, anymore!”

Roman only rolled his eyes, clearly used to his brother’s antics.

“So, that was Remus,” he groaned and smiled tightly at Logan.

“I’ve seen him before, through you. I knew his behavior was… unorthodox. I just didn’t assume to what extent.”

“You’re just talking about it so casually. I can’t believe we’re soulmates!” Roman exclaimed, smiling brightly again. “Or, actually, I can’t believe it took us so long to figure it out.”

Logan got up to stand next to Roman and tried to grab his hand. Before he could, Roman took Logan into his arms, holding him tightly. Logan lifted his arms to rest on Roman’s back, feeling the warmth - literally and figuratively.

It was truly baffling how it had taken them so long to figure out that they were soulmates. Logan had spent months trying to push down his feelings for Roman (unsuccessfully). He just hadn’t wanted to complicate things. Ironically, that was exactly what he had done by not confronting his feelings and talking about them openly. But none of that mattered now, standing safely in Roman’s arms, the unspoken affection in the air almost tangible.

They stayed in the embrace for what felt like eternity, until an important thought popped into Logan’s mind.

“We have to tell Patton.”

-

Logan was sitting on his bed with Roman's legs in his lap and his hand in Roman's, waiting for Patton to knock on the door. 

When Logan had called him and asked him to come to their room, Patton had been intrigued. Of course, he had seen and felt the same things Logan had from Roman, and, apparently, what Roman had felt from Logan. Patton was so curious, in fact, that Logan had almost told him what had happened right there on the phone. He would have, had Roman not stopped him. Roman insisted on wanting “the reveal”, as he called it, to be _monumental_ , and that couldn’t happen over the phone. So, they were just waiting for Patton to get there. 

Immediately as Patton knocked on the door, Roman stood up from the bed and ran over to it. Before opening it, he hesitated and looked over to Logan with a panicked look on his face. 

“I have no plan,” Roman whispered (loudly), dejected. He was so panicked that Logan could feel - and see - it, too. And, clearly, so could Patton. The knocking on the door became more frantic until Roman had to open it. And when he did, Patton practically ran into the room, looking between Roman and Logan with wide eyes.

“I think I know what’s happening here, but I don’t wanna get my hopes even higher than they already are. Please tell me what’s going on?”

Logan didn’t even attempt to answer him, not wanting to ruin Roman’s big moment. Roman, clearly having come up with a rushed plan, took both of Patton’s hands in his and got down on one knee.

“Patton. It is merely the first time my physical form has been graced by your presence, yet I know our souls were destined for one another. If you'll allow me, it would be an honor to begin to get to know you better.”

“Oh, geeze!” Patton said, trying to hold back tears. “That was really nice. I wanna get to know you better, too!”

Logan watched from his bed as the moment unfolded, feeling the strongest emotions and seeing both Roman's and Patton’s smiling faces despite not actually being involved. He watched them hold each other in their arms, crying into the other's shoulder. He watched the smiles on their faces only grow as time went on and felt his own doing the same. He let his soulmates have their moment, knowing he'd get to have many of his own with them in the future. He was just happy seeing them together, almost all of his soulmates finally having found each other.

Only one left to find.

-

“I miss them. Like, we haven’t even met yet, but I still feel like I miss them.”

“I know, Pat. But we’re gonna find them eventually. We can’t become desperate. After all, we don’t want them to think we’re boring,” Roman said to console Patton from his place on Logan’s bed, lying on his back with both Patton and Logan tucked firmly in his arms. 

“Some don’t meet their soulmates until they reach the age of retirement. In fact, the average age of meeting your soulmate is approximately 25. We met each other even sooner than that. I’d consider us lucky, so far. There’s no rush,” Logan said, doing research on soulmates on his phone.

“Aww, I think we’re lucky, too, sweetie!” Patton said, leaning over Roman to kiss Logan’s cheek.

“I also think we’re lucky,” Roman said loudly. “Do I get a kiss, too?” 

Patton giggled and Logan couldn’t help but laugh, too. Roman, despite being a terrific actor, absolutely lacked subtlety. Roman sputtered at their reaction, but went quiet when Patton reached up to kiss him.

-

Patton’s first movie night with Logan, Roman and Janus started out well. Patton, Roman and Logan were all there before Janus came in. It was a relief to Patton, who was nervous about meeting Logan’s best friend. 

“What if he doesn’t like me?”

Roman squeezed Patton’s hand to reassure him.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. He doesn’t like anyone, especially me,” Roman laughed. “Well, maybe he likes Logan.”

“He also likes his brother, Virgil,” Logan added to Roman’s short list.

“But that’s it!” Roman insisted.

Patton smiled at their conversation, looking distinctly less nervous. And with good timing, because as soon as he was calm enough to sit back onto Logan’s lap, Janus walked in. 

“Hi, sorry I’m late,” he said as he walked in to sit on Logan’s bed. “Nice socks, Roman.”

Roman looked down at his colorful fuzzy socks and whipped his head back up to look at Janus, grinning.

“Ha! Joke’s on you, they’re Patton’s, not mine!”

“What? I only called them nice,” Janus said, feigning sincerity.

“Gosh! Thank you, they’re my favorite socks!” Patton replied, obviously not noticing the sarcasm. “Hiya, I’m Patton. Nice to meet ‘ya!”

“Well, aren’t you the cutest,” Janus said, trying to sound sarcastic again but not quite getting there. Patton only giggled in response. Roman and Logan shared a fond look over Patton’s head.

“Should we pick a movie? Isn’t that why we’re here?” Janus asked, looking slightly uncomfortable at the moment between the three soulmates.

“Roman and Patton wanted to watch Frozen. I agreed, this once, because it’s Patton’s first time here and it’s only fair he gets to pick the movie to watch.” 

“C’mon, Lo. You can tell me if they bribed you in any way,” Janus joked. “Or actually, I’m not sure I want to know.”

That made Roman laugh, which made all of them turn to look at him, shocked that he was sincerely enjoying a joke Janus had made. 

“What? I didn’t expect it. It was funny!” He protested when he saw all of their eyes on him.

After that, the movie night continued on as normal. They began to watch Frozen - Roman and Janus making fun of it the whole time - and opened a bag of chips, which made Patton promise he’d bake something for next time. 

Halfway through the movie, there was a kick on the door, followed by a loud bang as Roman’s brother, Remus, threw the door open. As soon as Remus barged in, sporting his bright hair, almost fake-looking mustache and socks with no shoes on, Janus rolled his eyes.

“There’s no frat party for you here. Get lost.”

Remus laughed at that, loud and booming.

“I’m not here for a frat party. I’m here to get… you, I guess,” he said to Janus, grinning maniacally. 

“What do you mean?”

“You’re my soulmate!”

Three sets of eyes turned to look at him, eyebrows raised in confusion. Even Roman finally tore his eyes away from Frozen because, really, _what?_

“What do you mean I’m your soulmate?”

“I saw a flash from you with Roman in it, so I ran here to get you.” 

“Come get me where, exactly?”

“Away from Roman. Duh. I didn’t wanna leave you here to suffer,” Remus shrugged, still grinning.

That made them all laugh. Only Roman - who was also trying to hold back laughter - looked around, offended.

“Should we go?” Remus asked Janus, holding out his hand.

Janus looked around at the other people in the room, an amused smile on his lips.

“Yeah, I’ll go with you,” he said, getting up and grabbing the hand Remus was offering.

Logan, Patton and Roman looked at each other, bewildered, before starting to laugh. They certainly hadn’t expected that.

-

Watching Remus and Janus find each other made Logan, Patton and Roman think about their fourth soulmate. They desperately wanted to meet them. Every flash of a beautiful piece of art or a familiar book of poems only made them more and more desperate.

Finding them turned out to be harder than they had expected. After finding each other so closely together, they had become optimistic. After a year of searching, though, they decided to let it happen when it was supposed to. After all, the missing piece of their group didn't seem to want to be found. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Logan had a big psychology exam coming up.

He didn't usually need to worry about tests, as his study schedule made sure he was ahead in everything and ready for exams before they were even announced. Lately, however, he had found himself neglecting his schedule to spend more time with his boyfriends. He loved the time spent with them, the first thing in ages he had enjoyed more than studying. But, for the sake of his education, he would have to talk to them about making more time for studying.

“I need to talk to you two about something,” he said to Patton and Roman, as they were cuddled together on Patton’s bed with Chip right next to them. 

“What’s going on, Lo?” Roman asked him, the worry evident in his voice.

“It’s nothing bad, no need to be alarmed. It’s about my study schedule. I enjoy spending time with you very much, but I’ve fallen behind on my schedule and I’m struggling with an upcoming exam. While I would like to spend even more time with you, I think I need to incorporate more time for studying in my days, again.”

Patton and Roman looked at him 

“Thank you for telling us you’re having trouble, honey,” Patton said, smiling softly.

“Yeah, and I’m sorry that we’ve been hogging your time too much,” Roman added, looking apologetic.

“No, it’s my own fault. I’ve consciously neglected my schedule because I enjoy being with you more.”

“Oh gosh, that’s so sweet, Lolo,” Patton cooed and squeezed Logan tighter. “We love spending time with you, too!”

“Yeah, we really do. And I think I have a good compromise for us,” Roman said, piquing Logan’s interest.

“What is it?”

“Okay, how about this? It’s kinda like the study sessions we have with Janus, but without us distracting you. We can all agree on a time every day, or maybe every other day, when we meet somewhere and just study together, no talking allowed. Well, minimal talking allowed.”

The plan sounded good. Great, actually. Logan couldn’t believe Roman, the one who notoriously disliked studying, was the one to suggest it. 

“That’s a great plan, Roman. I’d like that very much,” Logan said, which made Roman smile brightly.

“Yeah, it’ll be great! We’ll get to just be together and you can get back to your schedule. We’ll all win!” Patton exclaimed, exuding excitement.

Patton kissed Logan’s cheeks - both of them - and his nose, and his forehead until he was just peppering kisses all over Logan’s face. Roman squeezed Logan’s waist and buried his face in Logan’s chest. Logan was so overwhelmed with affection and love that he couldn’t keep it all in.

“I love you.”

Despite never having been good at talking about his emotions, the words came easily to him. Facts, those Logan could do. And loving Patton and Roman was more of a fact, at this point, than it was anything else.

When the words registered in Roman's mind, Logan saw his own face, looking at Patton and Roman with a softness in his eyes he didn't even know was possible for him, accompanied by feelings of surprise and affection. When the flash was over, Logan could see Roman's smiling face again, only this time with tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. 

Before Logan could worry, Roman's lips were on his and all he could focus on was Roman: the feeling of Roman’s lips moving against his own, the gentleness of Roman’s hands on his cheeks and the feeling of warmth flooding through him, not even sure whose it was.

As Roman broke away from the kiss, breathless and smiling, his place was quickly taken over by Patton.

Kissing Roman had been filled with passion and fire that made Logan's head spin. Kissing Patton was soft and gentle, so full of love Logan's heart felt like it was overflowing.

The feeling of his soulmates’ lips on his was so overwhelming he felt like he would combust if it went on for too long, but he never wanted it to stop. Patton did break away, though, and before Logan could even open his eyes, he heard Roman's soft voice.

“I love you, _my soulmates_.”

Patton squealed and pulled them both into his arms. 

“I love you guys so much.”

Logan looked at them, unable to form words over the beating of his heart. But that didn't matter. He didn't even try to vocalize his feelings because for the first time, he was absolutely certain his soulmates would feel him, too.

-

Through Janus, Logan and Patton had become friends with Remus, too. In the beginning, Roman was adamant that they would end up regretting it - playfully, of course. After a year of being friends, though, they hadn’t regretted it one bit. (Well, maybe a little bit when Remus had walked into Logan and Roman’s room in the middle of the night while they were only half-dressed, making out. After that, they kept the door locked and everything was good.)

A big gesture of their friendship was when Remus invited them to see his art show. The show was actually organized for his whole class to showcase their work at an actual gallery, but Remus talked about it like it was solely his. Logan and Patton (and, reluctantly, Roman) were looking forward to going to the show, knowing how skilled Remus was with his gritty, surrealistic pieces. After a year-long friendship with Remus, they were sure nothing at the gallery would surprise them, not even his no-doubt nauseating art. And, wow, were they wrong.

“So, do you like it?” Remus asked them as they tried to make their way through the crowd of people at the gallery. It was far too crowded to Logan’s liking. He was glad he had Patton and Roman by his sides, keeping him away from the pushing people.

“Yeah, your section was really cool, bro. Patton didn’t like the one with the bloody animal-creatures but, other than that, we all thought it was amazing,” Roman told him. Remus looked proud of himself, not used to his brother actually complimenting him.

“There’s a maintenance room next to the bathrooms if you wanna get away from the people for a bit. You don’t look so good, Logan,” Janus said from next to Remus, holding his hand.

“Oh, thank you. I think I would benefit from that right now,” Logan replied, squeezing his boyfriends’ hands a bit.

They headed to the maintenance room, where Logan could finally get some air. He didn’t have a problem with people, just crowds. He always felt trapped in places that were too crowded. His boyfriends stood a bit further from him than they usually would, but they kept their hands in his. Logan appreciated the gesture.

When Logan could breathe normally again, they started looking around the room they were in. It was dark, only a small lightbulb lighting the entire room, but they could see enough. There were shelves filled with toilet paper rolls and cleaning supplies, with industrial vacuum cleaners and other machines strewn about. There were also two tables with art pieces that weren’t on display in the gallery. One of the pieces on the table closest to them caught Logan’s attention.

He walked toward the small painting of a Jack Skellington -esque character with the features blown out of proportion, making the character look absolutely terrifying. He could recognize that art style anywhere. Judging by the gasp from Patton behind his right shoulder, his boyfriends had noticed the same thing.

He turned the canvas around to see the artist’s signature on the other side. Logan felt his brows furrow when he saw what it said.

“Virgil? Isn't that-”

Before Logan could finish, they heard a deep, confused voice from behind them.

“What are you guys doing with my painting?” 

They turned around to see the tall, purple-haired boy - still hiding his hands in his hoodie pockets - looking at the painting with a confused expression, avoiding eye contact. It was Janus’ brother. And he just happened to be their missing soulmate.

Logan felt Roman’s elation, followed by Patton’s excited affection. He was sure they could all feel his surprise, too. They watched as Virgil reacted to the back-to-back flashes, his face morphing from confusion to realization. Before anyone else could say anything, Patton sprinted into Virgil’s arms, squealing enthusiastically.

“It’s you! It’s finally you!”

Virgil didn’t have time to lift his arms to hug Patton back before Roman joined the hug, as well. 

“We’ve been waiting so long to finally meet you, and you were under our noses the whole time.”

Virgil tentatively hugged them back, lips turning up ever so slightly but still looking nervous at the physical contact. Logan watched the scene unfold from the sidelines, not wanting to bombard Virgil with too much affection at once. They stayed like that for a while, until Virgil let go of Patton and Roman, and walked over to Logan. 

“Haven’t we met before?” were the first words Virgil spoke directly to Logan. Virgil had his hands buried in his pockets, again, but he was looking Logan in the eyes.

“Yes. You're Janus’ brother. We met once in the library when you were there to get him to go home with you,” Logan started, not taking his eyes off of Virgil's. “I've heard a lot about you from him.”

“I guess you’re the one who was with my brother once in a flash, then,” Virgil laughed. “I was so mad at him for not telling me who he was with that day. And he knew why I was asking! He just said he ‘wanted to see it play out’,” Virgil told Logan with a roll of his eyes. “I can't believe you were so happy to see him, then. He's the worst.”

“He was actually the one who sent us here, too,” Logan added.

“Oh, he knows I like to go here when the crowds get too much. He must’ve known you’d see me here,” Virgil groaned.

“Well, I suppose we owe him a thank you, then,” Logan admitted, smiling to Virgil. Virgil smiled back, reserved but beautiful.

This was him, their missing soulmate. The one they had longed to find. And he was better than anything they could’ve hoped for. Logan looked into Virgil’s brightly shining eyes and took in the feeling of finally being so close to him.

Logan couldn’t help himself, he had to get closer.

He cupped Virgil’s cheek softly and moved closer, until their noses were almost touching. He moved slowly, giving Virgil plenty of time to back down if he wanted to. But he never did. When Logan’s lips touched Virgil’s, he felt everything at once. The relief and joy from finally finding him, the excitement from being so close, and the feelings he didn’t even have the capacity to think about, only wanting to focus on Virgil. 

Virgil’s hair felt soft between his fingers and his lips were firm and so, so good. Logan had to remind himself that this was only the first time he was really meeting Virgil, he couldn’t go too far. So, he pulled away, stunned and out of breath. Virgil didn’t open his eyes until Logan cupped his cheek again and looked him in the eyes. Logan almost kissed him again, when he heard Roman’s voice from behind Virgil.

“Come on, Logan. Don't hog him! We want kisses, too!”

Both of them turned to look at Roman and Patton, closer now than they had been before. Logan smiled sheepishly and let go of Virgil. Roman immediately pulled Virgil in for a kiss that, even from the sidelines, looked earth-shattering. Then was Patton’s turn, who reached up to kiss Virgil’s cheeks softly first, having to stand on his tippy-toes to reach Virgil. Then, he kissed Virgil with an intensity that always struck Logan speechless.

After the kiss, Patton pulled Virgil into his arms, again. Roman joined in almost immediately and, this time, Virgil didn’t hesitate to hug them back. Logan joined the embrace, too, wanting nothing more than to be close to his soulmates. All of them.

They were finally all together, they had finally found their missing piece, and Logan just felt _complete_.

* * *

BONUS SCENE

Logan and Janus were sitting at their go-to table at the library, only this time joined by their soulmates. 

Patton and Roman were sitting practically on top of each other, looking at a magazine, doing a quiz called “Which Disney Princess are you?” Logan was amused by their serious expressions while pondering answers to questions such as “which talking animal would you like as a pet?”

Janus was playing with Remus’ hair - who happened to be sprawled out on the table - while reading one of his exam books for school. Logan was very proud of him for actually doing some work for school.

Virgil was drawing Roman in his sketchbook as a princely-looking comic book character, looking to Roman for reference without him noticing - which was probably for the best, in Logan's opinion, since he would've just spent the whole time trying to think of the most gallant poses imaginable. 

Logan was trying to study, but he found it hard to concentrate on his lecture notes with the people around him constantly distracting him. He wasn't helping his own case, either, by resting his hand on Virgil's thigh, stroking it with his thumb.

“I am _not_ Snow White, I'm _clearly_ more of a Mulan or a Rapunzel!” Roman shrieked suddenly, making everyone look up from what they had been doing. Patton was quick to comfort him.

“Oh, honey, it's okay. Snow White is just as good as Mulan or Rapunzel. But if you want, we can do the quiz again.”

Before Roman could reply, Virgil spoke up.

“Seriously, how are you such a Hufflepuff?”

“Yeah, it's amazing how the four of you happened to represent each of the Hogwarts houses,” Janus said mischievously. Logan knew Janus was aware of Virgil's dislike of the categorization, so he guessed Janus was just trying to rile up his brother.

"Oh no, I don't claim Slytherin. Not when my brother is the most Slytherin person in existence. I mean, he literally has a snake at home," Virgil replied, successfully dodging his brother's attempt at provoking him.

Three faces lit up with recognition at the mention of the snake. Virgil blushed. 

"Oh, you've seen her," he said, looking down and hiding behind his long bangs. 

Logan thought of the fear that, over time, turned into affection and love. Not only with the python, but also with the brother in question. It made him smile. 

He also had another thought in mind.

“If we represent the Hogwarts houses, you two together are clearly like the bowler hat guy from Meet the Robinsons,” Logan said, pointing at Janus and Remus. Virgil looked over to him, thankful for having the attention taken away from him.

“Logan, you made a Disney reference! I'm so proud of you!” Roman exclaimed, already having forgotten his Snow White problem. 

“You're becoming one of them!” Remus shouted, jokingly horrified.

_‘Yeah, I suppose I am,’_ Logan thought to himself, smiling slightly. As he looked around at his soulmates, who were all smiling warmly, he knew they had just felt all the love and affection he felt for them.


End file.
